Trusting without Seeing
by Enchanted Evangeline
Summary: AU Aly. Aly is 16 and deciding what career she wants with her fragmented education, including Gift-training with Neal and Alan. Visits Bloody Hawk, finds, love, etc. AU features characters from SofL and Kel, including OC. Alanna is a supportive mom .
1. I

Aly faced the large door again for the fourth time in ten minutes

Aly faced the large door again for the fourth time in ten minutes. It wasn't that she was _scared_, Alianne of Pirate's Swoop wasn't afraid of anything. Rather, she was _nervous_, _anxious_. At 16 she should have been returning from the Convent, a fully-trained Lady or Lady-in-Waiting, ready to snag a noble husband. Or she could have been a squire by now, waiting for a Knight to choose her.

But Aly hated long, tight-fitting dresses, like her mother, and she hated bows and arrows, like her father. She could have gone to University, like her older brother Thom, but she had opted not to. She had studied at the Palace with the Princesses, which, although unconventional, her godparents had allowed. She had some lessons on her Gift from her mother, when she was home and numerous lessons from her grandfather Myles. She had even been privileged enough to "shadow" her Uncle Gary, Uncle Jon and even Aunt Thayet as she witnessed what the realm's highest-ranking people did. All of her education had been unconventional and impromptu, even with her grandfather: she learned her realm's history straight from the books, but she demanded other realm's histories, unwritten Tortall history, and little known facts. She was even privileged enough to be one of few people to get her hands on a copy of the Bazhir history that King Jonathan had acquired when he became the Voice.

So at 16, Aly was already forging her own path, choosing _not_ to follow her mother or brothers, and certainly not her father. Although being a spy _did_ have its intrigues…

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, smiling, "Your Highness," she curtsied deeply.

King Jonathan stood, his sapphire eyes twinkling, "You're late, Lady Alianne."

She grimaced as he took his seat again, gesturing her towards her own, "Must we be so formal?"

"You're the one who called me 'Highness'."

She sighed, "Fine, fine, Uncle Jon. Why did you call me in for such a private meeting? You scared me half to death."

Jon smiled, "How are your lessons going?"

Aly looked at her godfather skeptically, "You wanted a private meeting to discuss my studies?"

"Aly, you're mother is going to start asking you _soon_ what you're going to want to do, we both know that."

"I figured," she grumbled, slouching slightly in her chair, "so you want me to narrow down my studies?"

The King nodded, "Unlike my own daughters, you have a number of options. You can learn more of Healing magic, join the Queen's Riders, anything you want."

Her fingers slipped through her long, strawberry-blonde hair, twirling a few strands, "So what do you suggest?"

"Well," Jon's eyes twinkled, "your mother and I think you should meet with Numair, have him officially examine your Gift, and than maybe you could study with Sir Neal for a while if you want to study healing."

Aly's green-hazel eyes widened, "Can I study with Nealie _anyway_?"

Jon laughed, "I suppose so, _if_ that's okay with Sir Neal."

"And I can continue with Grandpa?"

"Yes," he paused, "now, I haven't talked to your mother about this, but your father, grandfather and I discussed this a few years ago, but we feel that you'd be an excellent addition to the Royal Spies -" he held up his hand to keep her quiet, "- _when_ you're 18."

"You're serious?"

"Of course."

"And Pops agrees?"

Jon laughed, "Yes, and I think Alanna will eventually too - if she'll allow Alan to be a knight, and if _she_ traveled, your father traveled and she'll allow your brothers to travel, _you_ should be able to travel."

Aly smiled, "I'm sure if you, Uncle Jon, and Pops convince her, maybe Grandpa too, she'll be _more_ okay with it."

Jon's eyes twinkled as he leaned back in his chair, "So in a few months, you'll begin you training with your father and grandfather, but, I think you should train in healing first, since your Gift is so strong."

Aly smiled, "Yes, Highness."

Jon grinned, "All right, all right, enough_ Alianne_, your dismissed," he paused as they both stood, "and if I had heard correctly, I think Alan might have been picked by a knight earlier this morning."

She laughed as she approached the door to leave, "I had _thought_ so."

She made it to the pages' wing within minutes and she was instantly pounding on Alan's door. "Alan! Alan! Open up!"

The door swung open, revealing a tall, muscular, red-headed, young man, grinning. He gave his twin a big bear hug ad ruffled her head, "Guess who got a Knight-master today?" he asked in his deep voice.

"Alan, _who_?" she whined.

"Guess!"

"Uncle Raoul."

"Nope."

"Just _tell_ me."

"Neal!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Nealie picked you!" She jumped up and hugged him again.

"Yes!" he laughed, setting her down, "and I heard you had a meeting with Uncle Jon?"

"Oh, come on, we can talk about that later, you're a squire! Did you tell Mom and Pops yet?"

"They knew before I did - you know Neal asked Mom before, he's still afraid of her."

"So you _want_ to study healing?"

Alan nodded as he folded some shirts into his trunk, "Why not? I have a Healing Gift, and I'll still be learning and practicing my fighting…"

"Although you'll never beat me in daggers…"

"Oh, hush, Lady-I-won't-touch-a-bow."

She stuck her tongue out, "Well, Uncle Jon said I could practice Healing with Nealie," she laughed, "and I guess you too now."

Alan laughed, "I'll _never_ be rid of you!"

She grinned, "Never. Now come on, let me help you pack. We should go visit Thom, tell him all our news," she paused, "and Uncle Jon wants me to meet with Numair."

Alan grinned, "Why?"

She shrugged, "I guess to see how my Gift is, I'm not sure, _and_," her eyes twinkled, "Jon said I could be a Royal Spy when I turn 18."

Alan spun around his violet eyes wide, "No!"

She grinned, "Yep! I could be a Royal Spy! I could start out in the field like Pops, maybe high up if I'm good enough," she saw Alan's skeptical look, "come on, we know I'd be perfect! I could be a member of the Queen's Riders, be a squire or something, a Player, a commoner, a Bazhir."

Alan sighed and smiled, "You know, you're right. And your hair isn't as red."

"And my eyes aren't violet," she pointed out.

Alan laughed, "You're right. And Mom might actually be proud."

Her eyes got larger as she got more excited, continuing to help Alan pack, "Maybe I could be an Ambassador with the Prince and Princesses or a Knight _and_ be a Spy."

"You'd have to be a lady…"

Aly laughed, "You forget, Squire Alan that I became a Lady with Princesses Lianne and Kalasin."

Alan laughed too, "I _did_ forget, I'm just always so used to you in these clothes, wrestling with the pages, practicing your daggers, which _reminds_ me, you'll need to practice your swordplay."

Aly grimaced, "You know I'll never be as fast as you or Ma…"

Alan smiled, "But you'll be better at wrestling if you keep practicing your Shang."

"Do you know if Lady Knight Keladry came back with Nealie?"

Alan thought, "I _think_ so, why?"

"Well, maybe I could be formally and officially introduced and maybe she'll teach me that glaive, that pig-sticker thing that Ma hates."

The two laughed and continued to pack until some Palace servants came in to move the trunks to Alan's new quarters. It was only mid-afternoon, so the twins decided to go see their older brother.

On the ride over to the University, Aly had time to actually _think_. She _loved_ her Uncle Numair, but she and Alan had always thought he was a little too intense; not only was he intense with his magic, but with everything. He was a wonderfully talented and loyal man, but he was always too intense for the twins, even with simple tasks. And Aly was skeptical of meeting with him alone to have him examine her Gift and Sight.

Aly and Alan got along with their Aunt Daine too, but they rarely saw her, Numair or their kids. Daine had once attempted to teach Aly how to use the bow and arrow, but Aly never took to that.

She urged her mare, Cinnamon, to a cantor to keep up with Alan and his Duke. They had been given their horses from their parents on their thirteenth birthdays. She smiled at the memory: her parents had never given her or her brothers many actual, tangible gifts aside from the few necessities like clothes, a few formal outfits, weapons and a few books, because their numerous aunts and uncles, Grandpa Myles and Grandma Eleni, Coram, Rispah and Maude, were always spoiling them. Aly had learned to appreciate this, and so their thirteenth birthday was especially exciting.

Unlike what most other nobles believed, Alanna had been a terrific mother and was a wonderful aunt. As the King's Champion, she wasn't _always_ around, and she was sometimes harsh or strict, but Alanna taught her children everything she knew and supported everything they did. When Alan was deciding between University and Knighthood, Alanna supported him. When Aly decided to _not_ be a Knight and decided to become a Lady _while_ still getting various aspects of knight and University educations. Alanna had even suggested that she could join the Queen's Riders or become an Ambassador. Alanna, like George, supported their children, whether or not they did what was expected of them as nobles, as the grandchildren of a wealthy knight, the godchildren of their Highnesses.

And for that, Aly was grateful.

Most people who didn't know the Pirate's Swoop family intimately thought Aly was closest to her father, but Aly was just as close to her mother, making her go dress shopping at Lalasa's store, promise to teach her Shang and promise to take her to the Bazhir.

Aly and Alan gave their horses to the University stable hands and entered the University, walking to the students' wing. To their delight Thom's door was open.

"Hear ye, hear ye."

"The Court presents the dashing Squire Alan -"

"- And radiant Lady Alianne," Alan finished.

"Oh, honestly you two," Thom came to the open door, "just come in, I knew you were here, why do you think the door was open?"

Alan grumbled, "Your Sight makes you _no_ fun."

Thom laughed and punched his younger, yet taller brother's shoulder. "Sorry, little brother," he gave Aly a hug, his hazel eyes twinkling, "and hello, little sister. What brings you two here to the University, and before Mother and Father visit?"

Aly laughed and reached up to ruffle his deep-red hair. "We both have _exciting_ news!"

The three siblings all had different shades of red, which always caught people off-guard when they saw the three Cooper children together. Thom's was darker red, with more brown, which suited him. He had dark hazel eyes and was shorter than Alan, who was the tallest in the family. He looked the most like his father, complete with a crooked nose. Alan had bright red hair with violet eyes, just like their mother. He was tall and lean, yet extremely muscular. He was quick with a sword - nearly as quick as Alanna of herself. His Gift, while strong, was the weakest of the three, which was still stronger than most. His face looked almost exactly like his father as well, except with a stronger jaw than his father and brother. Aly had the lightest hair color of the three: it was strawberry-blonde, but heavy on the strawberry. Her eyes were also hazel, but more green than even her father's. She too had a strong jaw line, but she had her mother's delicate nose. She was thankfully _taller_ than her mother, but not by much. She too had a strong Gift, but not as strong as Thom's. Since she was the smallest and youngest sibling, she _had_ to be the quickest: she was the quickest wrestler of the three, although not the strongest, she was able to maneuver, roll, and wrangle herself out of holds. She was also the quickest with daggers, almost able to best her father.

The three were close; even though Alan and Aly were twins, they were still close with their older brother. Even when they were all busy or in different cities, they always sent detailed letters. Aly and Alan always made sure Thom interacted socially with other so he wouldn't get too involved with his magic. And Alanna and George always made sure he never got too cocky or ambitious, afraid he'd turn out like his late uncle. But Thom, unlike his namesake, cared too much about his family, friends and realm; and he loved to go to feasts and balls, interact with nobles and other mages and flirt with the Court Ladies. And unlike his uncle, he made sure to be apt in wrestling, daggers and a bow.

Thom was extremely excited for his brother's luck in knight-master, especially since he'd be able to learn more about his Gift. "You're Neal's first squire than, yea? You'll have to keep him in check. Make sure he _actually_ teaches you how to heal and use your Gift properly without draining your Gift or straining yourself," Thom laughed, "he'll be so fun though, you'll have so many ridiculous Neal stories."

Aly clapped her hands, "Oh, I _love_ Neal stories!"

Thom looked at his sister, "And what's your exciting news?"

"Well," he green-hazel eyes twinkled and she told Thom all about her meeting with their Uncle Jon.

Thom laughed, "So you'll be studying with Neal too than, eh?"

Aly grinned, "And I'll be continuing with my studies."

"And you'll finally be able to put that fragmented, fractured education to good use, huh? And Uncle Jon really wants you to join the Spies?"

Aly nodded, "After I turn 18 and I train."

Thom though for a moment, "Having a noble, who is a lady, who could pass for a Queen's Rider, a squire, a lady, or really whatever. You'd be more valuable than Pops' Rogue spies and you wouldn't be in _too_ much danger…" he trailed off. "I think it's a perfect match - but I still think you would make a wonderful Ambassador -"

"- Or a Player," Alan joked as he avoided Aly's fist.

The three continued to talk in Thom's room until the early evening, about Thom's studies, Alan's first day with Neal in the morning and Aly's anxiety over her meeting with Numair the next day. When Alan's stomach rumbled, Aly suggested that they head to the Dancing Dove for dinner. It was still light out when they headed down to the city - Alan and Aly were already wearing plain riding clothes and only had to wait briefly for Thom to change and for Alan to put a hat on to hide his hair. They all had daggers hidden on their person, like they normally did.

They hitched their horses outside the pub and walked in, waving to Marek as they sat at an empty table. An attractive young man came to take their orders. Alan and Aly ordered a tankard, much to Thom's dismay. Aly made sure to bat her eyelashes and flip her hair as they ordered. The waiter was tall with blonde hair and brown eyes and Aly could tell he was strong through his shirt. She winked as he walked away and Alan groaned. "You managed to flirt with him just by ordering your food."

Aly shrugged, "It's a gift. And why's it matter, he was cute and I'll probably never see him again after this and it's all a bit of fun."

Alan rolled his eyes and Thom laughed, "Alianne, you need to stop flirting with all these young men, breaking all their hearts."

Aly shrugged and smiled flirtatiously as their waiter brought their food over. The three began to eat when Marek wandered over. "Well, hello my three favorite young people."

"Marek, old chap, how _are_ you?" Thom asked.

He laughed, "I assume your folks don't know you're down here?"

"Do they ever know unless we're with them?"

"What they don't know won't hurt them."

Marek laughed, "The old King himself would be proud if he knew ye's were pulling old tricks like these."

They talked with Marek for a while about what was going on in the city recently, including the planned celebrations for the King's birthday. It was getting dark when the three siblings left the Dancing Dove - Aly brushed past their waiter on their way out when he lightly grabbed her wrist. She immediately tensed up and brought her free hand to her back in case she had to reach for a dagger. She smiled, trying her best to imitate the Players. The young man's voice was deep, "Will I see you again?"

"Maybe," she whispered flirtatiously.

He let go of her wrist, "I'm David." Aly nodded and without saying anything, left the Dancing Dove, catching up to her brothers.

--

Aly woke up early the next morning, wanting to get her meeting with Numair over early so she could pester Neal and Alan before lessons with Myles.

She dressed in another set of casual riding clothes: dark green breeches and a thin, cream-colored tunic. She threw her hair into a horsetail and headed off towards the stables, opting to skip breakfast until _after_ her Gift was examined.

Soon she arrived at the University and went to Numair's office. There, she was greeted by a female mage, "Alianne of Pirate's Swoop?"

"Yes, sorry, I was looking for Numair."

"Yes, I'm one of his apprentices, Melanie. He was called away late last night, so he asked me to examine your Gift."

Aly nodded and smiled at the mage, "So, let's get started!"

--

Aly felt slightly woozy when she got back to the Palace and so decided to take a nap before visiting Neal and her brother.

Soon she was wandering the Palace looking for Neal. She couldn't find him in his rooms, on the practice courts or in Duke Baird's offices. Defeated and annoyed, she decided to go visit her Uncle Raoul who had just returned with the King's Own, Lady Knight Keladry and Sir Neal.

She walked through the King's Own barracks and knocked on Raoul's door. Before she could even look up to see his face, he had picked her up in one of his infamous hugs. "How's my favorite niece?" he growled.

"Glad that her favorite Uncle is home!" She laughed as he set her down and ushered her into his office. "Did you hear that Nealie picked Alan?"

Raoul laughed and poured Aly a drink of water, "Indeed, I _had_, Kel just told me," he took a sip of water, "actually, she should be back in a moment. Have you two officially met?"

Aly shook her head, "Is she doing those glaive lessons again?"

Raoul laughed, "We'll have to ask her. And I hear _you_ might be studying with Neal too."

Aly grinned, "Won't he be thrilled?"

Raoul laughed, "He'll have a _great_ time with the terrible twins, I'm sure."

"Oh, Raoul, I haven't been terrible since I was eight!"

There was a knock on the door and Lady Knight Keladry walked in with two men behind her. "Ah, Lady Knight Keladry, this is Alianne of Pirate's Swoop."

Aly grinned and shook Kel's hand, "It's Aly, actually, and Uncle Raoul here keeps forgetting I'm a Lady now."

Kel laughed, "And it's Kel. I hear your twin is Neal's squire. He'll be in for a treat."

Aly laughed and Raoul cut in, "_Lady_ Aly will be studying healing with Neal as well, and Kel, are you still holding those glaive sessions?"

Kel smiled, "Right as the sun rises in the practice courts, you're more than welcome to come, Aly!"

"Oh, that's wonderful, thanks!"

"Oh, and Aly, this is Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, Neal's cousin and Kel's beau."

Aly smiled and stuck out her hand for him to shake. Instead he bowed and kissed her hand, his blue eyes twinkling, "Please, it's Dom. And Aly, I feel for you, having to study with Meathead."

Aly laughed, "Meathead, hm? That's much more original than Nealie."

Dom, Kel and the other man laughed and Dom remembered his manners, "Oh, right, Raoul, this is my nephew and the newest member of my squad as it's just his 18th birthday, James of Irismere."

Raoul shook the man's hand and welcomed him, but Aly barely heard the words because she was too preoccupied staring at James. He was taller than Dom and leaner too; he had dark hair, not as black as Uncle Jon's, but dark and it was cropped short. He had a hard jaw line and almost the exact same nose as Neal and Dom. But it was his deep sea-green eyes that caught her off guard. They were by far the greenest eyes she had ever seen.

James turned towards Aly and shook her hand grinning a gorgeous smile at her, which she returned, "Aly, best of luck with Neal."

She grinned, "And good luck in the Own," she said as Dom and James left to return to their duties.

Raoul tried to hide his knowing smile, "Kel, do you know where Neal is?"

"He just got back, I think, probably in his rooms." She excused herself and left.

Raoul turned to Aly, "You didn't even _attempt_ to flirt with him?"

"Who, Dom? He's dating Kel."

"No, you silly niece! James! You _always_ flirt with the young men, break their hearts."

Aly looked hurt, "I never! And why does everyone keep saying that?"

Raoul shrugged, "Because it's true. He's in the Own and can't get married anyway."

"Oh, _honestly_ Uncle Raoul!" She hesitated for a moment. "So Kel and Dom won't be able to get married." Raoul shook his head. "Does that bother her? Doesn't she want to get married?" Raoul shrugged again and his eyes got wide. "Don't you even think about going to change that silly rule, Alianne Cooper of Pirate's Swoop."

Aly grinned, "Why not? You can get married, can't you? Why can't your men? Now," she walked towards the door, "if you'll excuse me, I have to visit Neal before my lessons with Myles."

--

Aly sauntered into Neal's room and announced in a clear voice, "Oh, Sir Nealie, I have arrived, when shall we commence our studies?"

She tried not to laugh when she heard Neal groan, "Aly, dearest, how many times have I told you to not call me Nealie?" She threw herself at him and gave him a hug.

"Nealie, it's been too long! And thank you for making little Alan your squire! Mithros, we were all so worried he wouldn't get a Knight-master!"

"Hey! I heard that!"

Neal laughed, "Now, Aly, my flower, Alan and I have things to attend to, but we can study tomorrow after breakfast - you have lessons in the afternoon?"

She stood at attention and tried not to laugh, "Sir, yessir, I will see you at the third bell. Here?"

"Yes, here is fine. Farewell, Aly love."

"Farewell, Nealie, twinnie."

"I _hate_ when she calls me that…"

--

Aly sauntered into her grandfather's office, "Sorry I'm late, Grandpa, I had to search forever for Neal and Alan - you heard the news, right?"

Myles smiled at his granddaughter, "I had heard - and did you hear your parents are coming this evening?"

Aly froze, half-way to her seat, "What?"

"Your mother and father are riding up today - Neal has been given an assignment, your mother has been given an assignment too, so they decided to come to the Palace a little earlier."

"Mithros, do you know when they're coming? Is Uncle Jon holding a dinner for them?"

Myles nodded, "No one told you?"

"Oh, Great Mother Goddess, I have to bathe and change and oh _no_ it's going to be a big meal, isn't it?"

Myles chuckled, "Course, especially since Jon knows Alanna hates these big dinners."

Aly ran towards the door, "We'll have an extra-long lesson tomorrow or something, see you at dinner!" She ran to her room to bathe quickly and dress in a decent enough dress. There was the letter with the Royal Seal, signed by Thayet, asking for her presence at dinner. Groaning, she turned the water on, shedding her clothes to hop in to the tub.

She hadn't seen her parents in a few months, since her last short visit to Pirate's Swoop. She was excited to see them, excited to show them just how lady-like she'd become, how graceful. They knew how intelligent she was, but given how un-lady-like Alanna was, the fact that Aly could _walk_ like a lady would be a huge accomplishment.

Aly tried to make her hair dry faster with a towel as she searched through her drawers for a dress. She decided on a pale blue cotton dress that fitted looser than the dresses that all other court ladies wore. As a force of habit she put her daggers in their usual places underneath her dress, in the back of her breastband, in the top of her socks, under the bands she wore on her arms, like her dad. When she realized what she was doing, she sighed. She wouldn't need daggers for a dinner with her extended family, but if she had learned anything from her paranoid parents, it was that you could never be _too_ safe.

Aly decided to meet up with Neal and Alan to go to the feast. Yuki was in Queenscove for the month, getting acquainted with her new family, decorating and organizing while Neal stayed in Corus. She would come back to Corus for a while in a month; once Duke Baird retired in a few years, Neal and Yuki's primary residence would be the Palace.

Aly knocked on Neal's door and Alan answered, wearing Queenscove colors, "Sir Nealan is preoccupied -oh, it's you."

Aly smirked, "Some welcome. Are you two almost ready for the dinner?"

Neal yelled from his bathroom, "In a moment!"

"Do you know who else is coming tonight?"

Aly shrugged, "The usual, I should think, but since Neal's coming tonight too…" she laughed as Neal bounded out from the bathroom.

"Well, come along, kiddies, let's go." The three walked down the halls and ran into Gary and Raoul, who were also heading towards the feast.

"Ah, Squire Alan, congratulations on getting a Knight-master."

"Sorry it had to be Sir Nealan," Raoul said and Alan laughed.

"Thanks Uncle Gary, Uncle Raoul."

A palace herald was stationed at the door. "Oh, Mithros," Raoul muttered, "and Buri had to go to Goldenlake for a visit."

Aly laughed, "Uncle Jon would do this, just to irritate Mother. Well, come on, Sir Nealie, you'll have to escort me since I'm a Lady now," she picked up her skirts with her left hand.

Neal groaned. "Lucky me."

The herald opened the door and announced Neal and Aly, followed by Raoul, Gary and than Alan. Alanna and George were already present in the hall, taking with the King and Queen. Once she was in the room, she curtsied to Neal and delicately flicked her long hair behind her shoulder. She did her best lady-walk down the hall and curtsied to her Aunt and Uncle first before turning to curtsy to her parents. Jon and Thayet tried to hide their smiles behind their hands, but Alanna openly blanched. George was grinning, his hazel eyes twinkling. "Well, lass, you seem to be a proper lady."

She grinned as George kissed both her cheeks, as custom required: he was continuing the formalities Aly had started. She turned to her mother. "You _glided_. You glided across this floor. _My_ daughter was able to walk like a lady," she laughed and blinked her violet eyes.

Aly smiled and leaned in to whisper, "But I can still fight like a man." Alanna laughed and gave her daughter a hug as Alan came up behind his twin.

"Mom, Pops," he shook George's hand who grinned and Alanna gave him a hug too as Neal cleared his throat. Alanna stood up to her full height, her hands behind her back. "Sir Nealan," she nodded gravely.

Aly noted the fear and respect in his green eyes as he stood to attention, "Sir Alanna, may I present my squire, Alan of Pirate's Swoop. He will be my charge for the next four years and I shall teach him all I know about the art of war and the art of healing, which I learned from my own Knight-master."

Alanna nodded her lips twitching and Aly let out a laugh as George cut in, "Come on love, give the poor lad a break. Look how frightened he is."

"I'm - I'm not -" he stopped when Alanna's eyes landed on him again and he let out a soft yelp.

Alanna smiled, "Oh, Neal, come on, you're not actually _afraid_ of me, come here," she shook his hand and laughed.

Lady Knight Keladry and Sergeant Domitan were the next ones to be announced and they came in to greet their Highnesses, never had the privilege of meeting either. Raoul came over to talk with Alanna and Kel as Neal became the recipient of teases from Dom as Aly laughed. Alan was talking to their father - she'd talk to him after the meal. Dom looked at Aly, "So, I hear Alianne here is calling you Nealie instead of Meathead." Neal grimaced.

"But I think Nealie is almost childish, so during my studies with you, I'll make sure to think of new nicknames."

Thom was the last one to be announced, and soon everyone was being ushered to sit at the large table. Aly looked around at the servers and noticed that they weren't wearing pages' uniforms, but rather uniforms of the King's Own. Dom, who was sitting close to Aly answered her unspoken question. "The pages had already been given the night off, so at the last minute Raoul rounded up the newest recruits and got them to serve."

Aly nodded, reaching for her glass. The chance of her seeing those terribly attractive green eyes suddenly increased dramatically.

She was talking with Princess Lianne who was sitting on her left when James, Dom's nephew, served Alan his first course. She looked up for a moment and met his deep green eyes. Her stomach lurched and she looked away quickly, bringing her attention back to Lianne, who hadn't noticed Aly's eye contact.

It seemed as though James was serving _everyone_ who was sitting across from Aly. And she couldn't look away enough. It wasn't just his _eyes_ that were mesmerizing, but his face, the way he moved; he walked with a gracefulness that most men lacked, even knights. Aly could only imagine the way he must have fought.

Dom watched his nephew, nervous that he would trip in front of all these important nobles. But Dom's worry was unnecessary, since he knew how poised he was both in a fight and apparently serving food. He took a bite of his food and looked up at James again and saw him staring at something. He followed his gaze and was surprised to see Aly staring back at James.

He smiled. _This_ would be interesting.

--

Aly was able to snatch her father away from her Uncle Raoul after the meal as everyone was standing around, talking. "Pops," she grinned as her dad grinned back, his hazel-green eyes twinkling.

"Ah, daughter, let me take a look at you, yes, yes, you are a lady," he reached for her arm and smiled, "but still my child, I see," he said as he felt the dagger on the inside of her arm.

"Force of habit, Pops," she sighed, "so have you heard the news? Not _only_ am I a lady, but I'll be studying healing with Sir Nealie. And," she whispered, leaning in so her dad could here her, "Uncle Jon tells me there's a spot for me amongst your ranks when I'm 18."

George tried to hide his smile, "Aye, I knew he would tell you sooner or later. And yes, but I think with all of your training and education, you'll be a higher-ranked spy."

"Among the Ambassadors?"

He laughed at her eagerness, "We'll see, we'll see, first I think you need to complete your training with Neal first."

Aly sighed, "Yes, yes."

George smiled as Thom came over, "Ah, Thommy my boy, have you seen lady-like your sister is?"

Thom grinned, "Soon, father, we'll have to fend-off knights, mages -"

"- Members of the King's Own," Alan whispered in Aly's ear.

"- who'll want to take our dear sister's hand in marriage," Thom finished, unaware of what Alan had said. Aly scowled at her twin, daring him to say something again.

"Ah, here's our resident squire! Alan, how does it feel to be a squire?"

Alan smiled, "Feels fine, Pops!"

Alanna walked over and put her arm around Aly, "Oh, daughter of mine, I _am_ proud that you can walk and act like a lady," she laughed, "_and_ that you can wrestle and use daggers as well as any man."

Aly grinned, "Not just _any_ man, Ma, I can wrestle better than Alan and use daggers just as well as Pops. And I'll be joining Lady Knight Keladry's morning glaive sessions."

Alanna smiled, brushing her daughter's hair behind her shoulders, "Than I'll see you there," she and George bade their children and everyone goodnight.

Aly turned around and saw James watching her from a dark corner, but as soon as he saw her notice him, he turned away. Aly felt that she should have been apprehensive, but she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Dom walked up beside her, "He's a good kid," he said, smiling. "I know _we_ barely know each other, Lady Alianne," he said dramatically, "but from what I've heard, you seem like a nice enough young lady."

Aly laughed, "Well, thank you, Sergeant Domitan. And from Neal's constant complaining, I feel as though I can trust you, but I don't really know what you're talking about."

Dom nodded, "Of course, Lady Alianne, of course. But I think if you got to know James, you'd like him. And I'm not just saying that because I'm his uncle."

Aly smiled, "How _does_ that work? You're not _that_ much older than he is…"

Dom's blue eyes twinkled, "I _knew_ I liked you. No, I'm the baby of the Masbolle clan, and he's the second brother of _my_ second eldest brother. Out of ten siblings."

Aly nodded, "And I thought my adoptive extended family was difficult to explain."

Dom laughed, "The Masbolles have a lot of children -"

"- And they're _all_ crazy," Neal cut in.

"Just as crazy as the Queenscove clan!"

--

Aly went to sleep quickly that night, trying not to think of James' deep green eyes: it wasn't like she hadn't had crushes before, but she was older now, and she needed to stop having _silly, girly_ feelings like this.

But James _was_ nice to look at.

She woke up early to get down to the practice courts. There were already a few women there, including her mother, Kel, Queen Thayet and Princess Lianne.

She walked back to the Palace with her mother, who had a breakfast meeting with Jon, Gary and the rest of the council. Aly bathed and changed quickly and hurried to the mess hall, to eat with Neal and Alan before practicing Healing.

"Good morning, teach."

Neal groaned into his porridge, "Wonderful, an extra half-bell of teasing."

"Oh, Neal, come, I'm not going to tease you during our lessons. I _want_ to learn how to heal, Neal. I want to be able to learn more about my Gift without having to go to University."

Neal blinked. "Aly, I knew you were serious about your studies, but I had no idea _how_ serious you were about your Gift," he paused as her stirred his porridge, thinking. "The King has assigned me to the Bazhir - specifically the Bloody Hawk tribe since I was made a member when I was your mother's square, and since that school is still there…"

"Oh, Neal _please_ ask if I can come! Technically I'm a member of the tribe and I could learn _so_ much from them! And if you go, my studies will be disrupted and -"

Neal smiled, "I'll try, Aly, I'll ask. I'll see what I can do."

--

Aly walked into Myles' room that afternoon, "Sorry I'm late, Grandpa, Nealie really worked us hard today." She sat down in her usual chair and didn't notice the person sitting next to her until Myles acknowledged him.

"Aly, your father and I wanted to talk to you a little bit about spies and about the training you'll have to go through before _and_ after you turn eighteen."

Aly grinned, "Yes, of course, of course. And before you say anything," her voice turned serious, and both her father and grandfather knew she was putting on another of her infamous Player-worthy performances. "I know that this training will be hard, I know that with this training and my previous and on-going education, I will be a higher-ranking spy, by being anything from a peace envoy to a princess' lady-in-waiting. Yet, I will still be in danger as all other spies, and so must take the Spy Oath in the event that I get discovered and questioned. Even when there are no potential threats to our realm, spies are needed for even the most mundane of jobs."

George laughed, "Aye, sounds good to me. Practicing that one, were ya?"

Aly feigned innocence and sat back, waving her hand, "I don't know what you mean by that comment, father. It came straight from the heart."

Myles laughed too, "Fine, fine, that was all well and good. But yes, you're training will become intensive, and secretive, closer to your 18th birthday. Until than, you are expected to focus your time and energy on studying healing with Sir Nealan, continuing your fighting," he paused.

"And perhaps trying to take up archery again, yea?"

Aly grimaced, "I'd rather just learn to throw swords or javelins or something."

"And you will continue your current studies, since they will be valuable to your life as a spy."

Aly grinned, "Let's the games begin!"

--


	2. II

The group started out early in the morning, much to the dismay of Neal and Alan, neither of which were morning people

The group started out early in the morning, much to the dismay of Neal and Alan, neither of which were morning people. Aly brought Cinnamon over to Neal and Alan, "Oh, come on boys, cheer up! We're going to the Southern Desert! We're going to see the Bazhir!"

Neal grumbled, slouching in the saddle, "When will Dom and his squad be here?"

Soon enough Dom and his squad rode up, all wearing their King's Own uniforms. Aly was not only the sole female, but she was also the only one not wearing a uniform. She was wearing her navy riding breeches and a blue tunic underneath the white burnoose her mother brought her a few years back. The hood was back and her long hair swayed slightly with the morning breeze. She had a sword and glaive on the back of her saddle, some daggers in the saddle's pouch and her usual daggers on her person. She was just as prepared as everyone.

She had found out only a few days earlier that Dom's squad would be accompanying them to the Bloody Hawk, and so she had a few days to mentally prepare. She'd be seeing that devastatingly gorgeous face and those terribly mesmerizing eyes frequently on their travels, especially since Dom's men would be staying with the Bazhir for a few days before continuing their travel duties around the Desert. She saw no sign of him as they started out, but kept on watch. She couldn't be caught off-guard by his eyes.

A few minutes into their journey he rode up along side her. "Aly, right?"

She smiled, turning towards him, taking a deep breath, "Yea, James, right? How do you like the King's Own?"

He smiled back and Aly's heart almost melted. Even his green eyes seemed to smile. "It's not too bad - hard work and all that, but I'm enjoying it, excited to get out of Corus."

Aly nodded, "First time in the desert too?"

James laughed, "With that burnoose of yours I thought you'd been there plenty of times."

"No, I haven't been there yet - this was just a gift from my mother."

James nodded looking forward again, "So you guys are going to study at that Bazhir Gift school?" Aly nodded in response. "Did you _want_ to study with Neal, I mean, you're not his squire or anything," he paused and looked back at Aly, "sorry, I don't mean to pry."

Aly smiled, "I want to study healing and since Neal would be teaching my brother, it just made sense if I tagged along. And Neal's actually a wonderful teacher."

James laughed and Aly noticed him blush slightly, "I really only know Neal from all the things Uncle Dom's told me. I can hardly believe he could teach, but if you say so…"

Aly and James continued to talk about the King's Own, James' informal education. Thankfully, he never brought up Alanna, which surprised and delighted Aly: everyone _always_ wanted to know about her famous mother. Aly's education with the Princesses was never mentioned either, but she told James stories of how she _had_ to become quick in order to not get beaten up by her bigger, stronger brothers.

Dom watched the two talk the entire morning's ride, smiling to himself. Even by just talking about average, mundane things, Dom could tell that James was attracted to Aly.

Alan noticed too. And he was confused. Usually Aly would flirt mercilessly with a man, whether he is a Rogue, noble, servant, but with this James character, she was being herself. She was still kind of flirting, but not like she usually did.

--

After a stop for lunch, Neal gave a verbal lesson to Alan and Aly, much to their dismay. Suddenly, after about an hour of the lesson, one of the men raced back to the group shouting, "Bandits! Hillmen!" Aly readied herself, grabbing her sword in her right hand and taking a crooked dagger from her saddle's pouch, nodding to Alan, who was holding a sword and an axe, both steering their horses with their knees. Dom looked over warily at Aly's dagger, but she smiled grimly. She knew the damage one of her daggers could inflict.

They continued to ride as Dom issued commands. Aly listened, twirling the dagger along her fingers. She turned her head and saw James with his sword in his one hand, his other hand poised to grab his double-headed axe from his saddle.

Within seconds the bandits were upon them, Aly watched as Neal fought with his sword but saw his lips move and knew he was using his Gift too. Aly sliced her sword up a bandit's chest before he could raise his own blade that got near her, her Cinnamon kicking his hoof into the other horse's side. Another man was rushing towards her, yelling, his helmet gleaming in the sun. Letting out a war-cry, Aly threw her crooked dagger at the man, hitting him squarely in the chest. Swiftly and aptly she pulled two more daggers out of her pouch as he continued to rush at her, she checked the dagger at his gut, causing him to fall out of the saddle. Out of the corner of her eye she saw another bandit coming towards her on the left. She threw the dagger in a slicing motion, hitting the assailant in the throat. He died before reaching her. She saw a bandit sneak up behind Alan and threw another dagger at him, urging Cinnamon forward. Aly sliced her sword up into the man just as her dagger had lodged itself into the man's chest. Alan turned around and muttered a thanks as the last bandit fell.

Aly hoped down off Cinnamon to pull her daggers out of the bandits. Dom handed her a piece of cloth to wipe the blades off, "I'll never doubt you and your daggers again. Nor will I ever cross you…"

Aly smiled grimly, "Hopefully there won't have to be another time. For this trip anyway." She climbed back on to Cinnamon and Alan came up next to her. "You've been practicing your aim."

Aly smiled, "You were pretty good with your sword too - looks like you've been practicing a lot, yea?"

Alan grinned, slipping his sword back into its helm, "Someone's got to beat Mom…"

They continued on their way to the Great Southern Desert. A few minutes later James rode up to Aly. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" he sounded amazed, his eyes wide and bright, "I mean, you were _great_ with the sword," he lowered his voice, "better than some of the Own's men," he paused, grinning, "but those daggers! You just threw them like it was nothing, with impeccable aim!"

Aly couldn't help but laugh and blush slightly. "That was probably one of the nicest compliments I've ever received. But yes, I've been training with daggers my whole life. I'm a lot better at hand-to-hand combat with daggers."

He looked astonished, "Better than throwing them? But you throw them with such precision, more accurately than an arrow."

Aly smiled, "I hate bows and arrows, so I had to make due. My dad was pretty good at daggers and he taught me when I was young, since I was too small to handle a sword. And I've been practicing since."

James flashed a smile, "Mind sharing that dagger knowledge?"

Aly smiled back, "As long as you promise not to surpass the teacher skill-wise."

James laughed, "I doubt I'll ever hit a man in the throat and kill him instantly," he paused, "next time we run into bandits, I'm fighting near you."

Aly couldn't help but blush again as James rode off ahead of the group, as it was his turn to scout. She looked over and saw Alan shake his head.

--

When they finally reached the Bloody Hawk tribe, Dom and his squad were regarded as friendly strangers and were therefore allowed to camp on the outer rim of the camp. Neal, Alan and Aly were given tents right next to the shamans Kara and Kourrem, former students of Alanna. That night there was a feast given for the children of the Woman Who Rides Like a Man and the Thief. Alan and Aly laughed throughout the whole meal, hearing stones of their mother they had never heard before. They went to bed that night thrilled to finally be with Bazhir and ready to learn more about their Gift.

The training and learning with the Bazhir at the makeshift school was tough, but Aly and Alan enjoyed themselves. Even Neal was having fun teaching, something that amused even Dom.

Dom and his squad were the stay for a few weeks before going on a quick patrol before coming back. When the twins weren't studying and Alan not doing things for Neal, they were teaching the Bazhir children wrestling, Shang and different weapons. Some days different men from Dom's squad would come join. One day, James came, eager to watch Aly with her daggers.

She was wearing her normal riding clothes, her long hair in a horsetail, demonstrating her dagger hand-to-hand combat with Alan. She looked to the children, "Now, watch closely. Alan and I are going to go full-speed and full-strength," she smiled at a younger girl who looked fearful, "don't worry, I won't hurt him." She nodded to Alan, pulling two daggers from her waist, spinning them in her hands. "Ready?"

His violet eyes flashed, "Born ready." Alan knew Aly would wait for him to make the move so she could be on the original defense.

She grinned, "Come on, Alan, come on, I won't hurt you."

"Ah, sister, your tricks don't work on me…" he grinned and in one second, she lashed out at him, catching him completely by surprised.

The children gasped as Alan tried his best to defend Aly's daggers. James was entranced by how quickly and effortlessly she moved with daggers: had she wanted to hurt Alan, he would have been a bloody heap by her third slash.

A crowd started to form around the twins; the cheers brought over older Bazhir children and other of Dom's men. Aly smiled as she continued her dance around Alan. To onlookers, it looked like she was dancing, it looked like art.

A few minutes later, Alan tripped and she threw her dagger, pinning the sleeve of his shirt to the ground. She grinned as the crowd cheered and she pulled the dagger out, helping Alan up. "Your merciless," he laughed good naturedly.

Aly looked towards the children, "Don't worry, he's better with a sword than I am with daggers." The children laughed and ran away to tell their parents. Aly started to walk back to her tent when she walked into James.

"Mithros, you weren't lying when you say you were good at hand-to-hand combat. That was unbelievable!"

Aly smiled, "Thanks, I've had a lot of practice."

James laughed, "So you've said, but you've obviously got some natural talent anyway." He paused, sounding still eager yet shy, "Do you think you could show me how to throw? I mean, if you have time?"

Aly grinned, "Sure, come on," they walked over to the target that was set up and Aly handed him a dagger, "first, get used to the weight of it. Now, watch," she threw the dagger and James watched it fly through the air, turning over in a perfect arc, hitting the center of the target. "First, just work on your form and getting the dagger close to the target to get the feel of it."

James attempted throwing daggers around the target. "Good," Aly said although James looked sheepish, "now, to get the dagger to stay _in_ the target, you have to throw it a little more forcefully, making sure the blade is going to hit the target, not the hilt."

He threw the dagger, the hilt hitting the edge of the target. "Ok, here, just put another dagger in his hand and placed her hand on his arm, repositioning it. She tried to keep her breathing regular as she felt, his arm muscles. She moved her hands to his wrist, "Ok, now move your wrist like this, right, now just, time it." James threw it again and although the dagger bounced off the target, the blade had hit it. "See? Now, if you practice enough you'll get it and than you'll be able to do this," she took a dagger and threw it by the blade and James laughed as it hit the center of the target.

"I have a feeling I'll _never_ be able to do that." He paused and walked to the target to pick up the daggers, looking Aly in the eye, "Thanks for taking the time to teach me, Master Dagger-Thrower," he grinned, his green eyes sparkling.

Aly smiled back, "It was no problem, you were an easy student."

The two walked back towards the main part of the camp as the sun began to set.

--

Dom and his men left a few days later and Aly was disappointed that James didn't say goodbye to her. Not that she expected him to, they were just friends. But she was still disappointed. But when Alan caught on to her mood, she became slightly angry and put all her energy into her studies and fighting. Alan decided not to say anything, as did Kara and Kourrem and Neal was too daft to notice a change.

She was practicing her Shang exercises one morning when she noticed a young Bazhir man watching her as he used the targets to practice his archery. Even from a distance, Aly could tell he was attractive, and that she had never noticed him before.

She ignored him, however and finished up her exercises before going to eat breakfast with Kara and Kourrem in their tent. It wasn't until later that day when Aly was reading one of the books Gary gave her when she saw this man again. She looked up when the sun was blocked from her reading, "Excuse me -" she began, but was interrupted.

"Forgive me for disrupting your studies, Lady Alianne of Pirate's Swoop," he knelt dawn to shake her hand and so she could properly see his face, "but I have been wanting to introduce myself for sometime. My name is Zeke and I am one of my tribe's sentry."

Aly nodded, "It's wonderful to meet you, Zeke," she smiled, he was attractive. He had shaggy dark hair and dark eyes with long eyelashes. He had a strong chin and was wearing a burnoose, Aly was sure he was muscular, being a watchman and protector of the tribe.

She turned her charm on, becoming extremely flirtatious, having missed this type of fun since Corus. And Zeke looked game. "I saw you practicing archery this morning, but I've never seen you before," she brushed her hair behind her shoulder, which briefly caught his eye.

His lips slowly started to form a smile, "I just got back: I'm on leave for a few weeks. I saw you fight your brother the other day."

Aly smiled too as she closed her book, "He might be able to beat me with his sword, but I can beat him with daggers."

"And those exercises you were doing this morning were complex."

"Ah, yes, my Shang. I might not be as strong as others," she pulled the knife he was holding out of his hand before he could even blink, "but I'm faster."

Zeke grinned and inclined his head towards Aly, "Impressive," she gave him his knife back, "and what are you studying?" he nodded towards the book.

"A little of this, a little of that. _This_ is a history of the Copper Islands. I hope to become an Ambassador or envoy of sorts."

Zeke nodded, "And you're studying at our school too?"

"Yes, healing. My brother's Knight-master was assigned to teach at the school for a few weeks, so I was allowed to tag along."

Zeke nodded and looked behind him, "Well, Alianne of Pirate's Swoop, it was good to meet you, I hope to see you again soon."

Aly smiled, "It was wonderful to meet you, Zeke."

Zeke walked away as Kara approached, "I see you've met Zeke han Abballe."

Aly frowned at her friend's grimace, "Yes? Why don't you seem pleased about that?"

Kara frowned, "Just be careful. He's very…peculiar. He was abandoned as a child and was a rogue, wandering the desert until the old Head of our tribe welcomed him. He rarely talks to anyone."

Aly nodded as Kara walked away. She was confused by this pseudo-warning: he wasn't _dangerous_, just not very social and so had been labeled as peculiar. There was nothing _wrong_ with that. Zeke seemed friendly enough; and fun. What was wrong with a little fun?

--

"Aly! Aly! Wake up! Hurry!" Aly shot up instantly, nearly knocking her twin over. She started to put her boots on before Alan stopped her. "No, no, Neal and I have to go, _now_ with a few of the Bazhir, Dom needs help."

Aly's face fell as she looked outside: the sun was just beginning to rise. "And I have to stay here? _Alan_, what's going on?"

Alan shook his head and walked towards the flap in her tent, "It's nothing too serious, some of the Bazhir soldiers are staying her, you can help them since I know you won't be able to study."

She managed a small smile, "Be safe."

"You too." Alan left and Aly moved to get dressed, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep.

--

Aly was practicing her glaive when she saw Zeke out of the corner of her eye. She stopped her repetitions and ran after him, "Zeke! Zeke! Hey!"

Zeke stopped walking and turned around and Aly froze; she was caught completely off-guard by his cold glare. When he realized who it was, his face softened, "Ah, Lady Alianne so you've heard?"

"Uh, uh, no, no, actually, I don't know anything. Alan woke me up and left."

Zeke nodded, "There was some rogue tribe, a small group, but they needed help, so you're brother, his Knight-master and a few of the other men went," he pushed his hand through his shaggy hair and continued to walk towards the archery target, Aly walking behind him.

"Zeke, wait," she said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "are you okay? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Zeke sighed, "No, I just thought I'd be ordered to go, I know how to deal with the Rogue Bazhir. But I'm fine, Alianne. Thank you for your concern."

Aly nodded, still unconvinced. "Okay, I won't intrude on your target practice, but if you need another sentry or anything, just let me know."

--

Aly was cleaning and sharpening her daggers when she heard Zeke outside her tent, "Alianne is it all right if I enter your tent?"

Aly couldn't help but grin, "Yes, yes, of course." Zeke entered and Aly motioned for him to sit as she went back to work on her daggers.

"Alianne, I wasn't completely honest with you earlier," his voice was soft, "I have had a bad experience with these renegade Bazhir and I was angry this morning because I wanted revenge on this small tribe." Aly found herself watching Zeke as he spoke: his dark hair was almost long enough to cover his dark eyes. He was leaning towards her and Aly found herself leaning closer to him too. His voice was soft and deep and almost hypnotic. Aly was drawn to him, even as he was confiding these otherwise dark secrets and desires.

He continued, "So I just want to thank you for being concerned before and I wanted to apologize for seeming angry at you too," he paused and looked up, meeting her eyes. "I know I hardly know you, Alianne, but I felt like I could confide in you. Many of the people of the Bloody Hawk aren't as friendly as you," he paused.

Aly's eyes flickered to his lips. She had never kissed anyone before, but than again, she had never been in such close proximity to someone she found so attractive, alone. Her eyes flickered back up to meet his eyes and she held her breath as his hand brushed the hair away from her face. Zeke's hand lingered on her cheek as he brought his face closer. "Thank you," he whispered and it was Aly could do to close her eyes as she felt his breath on her face. "For being so concerned about me, Alianne," he finished, and than he kissed her. His lips were soft and Aly leaned her face in more, wanting to deepen the kiss, but Zeke pulled away, leaving Aly confused. "We shouldn't be doing this, Alianne we hardly know each other."

"So?" Aly whispered, reaching her hand out to touch him.

Zeke stood, "You and I have watch duty Alianne," he smiled, helping her up, "we can get to know each other than."

--

There were a few pairs stationed around the camp, keeping guard, Aly and Zeke were one of these pairs. Zeke was listening and asking questions about Aly's childhood. She was telling him how she could have gone to University, but she had decided not to when she tuned to Zeke. "Enough about _my_ childhood, I want to hear about yours."

Zeke shook his head, "My childhood was a little rough, I did some things I'm not proud of…"

Aly smiled, "Perhaps you don't know who my father is," she looked at him, "trust me, the things my father did were atrocious, no matter if his motivations were honorable. But he was a good person and everything was forgiven of him," she paused, "and we've all killed people."

Zeke looked at her again, their eyes meeting for a brief second, but Aly could still see the gratitude and relief. "I was an orphan for as long as I can remember. A renegade tribe raised me until I was ten or so and than I ran away since I didn't agree with their ways. So until I was 15, I stole, plundered, whatever you want to call it. I was alone mostly, sometimes with a few other boys." He sighed, "And I've been with the Bloody Hawk since."

Aly was confused, "Why are you so ashamed of that? You left the renegades because you didn't agree with them, you wanted to align yourself with the King."

Zeke shook his head, "Perhaps one day I'll tell you details…"

Aly nodded and they were silent for a few moments as Aly tried not to think about their kiss. It had been everything all those Palace ladies said. But she still wanted more; she liked Zeke. And while she flirted with him at first to get over her anger with James, she enjoyed Zeke's company. Perhaps it was his tortured childhood, his quiet demeanor: he was a bad boy, and Aly knew that most girls were attracted to the bad boy. Her mother had been. And Zeke's good looks didn't hurt either.

Aly turned towards him again as they continued to walk as the sun began to set, "Who did you live with when you joined the Bloody Hawk?"

Zeke smiled, "Someone's very determined, aren't they? Since I was 15 and knew how to fight, they gave me my own tent."

Aly nodded and Zeke continued, "Would you like to know how I became so articulate, if I know how to read, where and how I was educated?"

Aly grinned, her eyebrow cocked, "Actually, Zeke, I would. Please tell me."

Zeke laughed, "Relentless. I learned the basics with the renegades and I would steal books, letters, whatever I could get to continue reading. And I was just born articulate."

Aly rolled her eyes playfully, "Oh, of course, of course," she paused and looked at him again, "you can borrow my books from the palace. They'll be boring, but-"

Zeke interrupted, "That sounds perfect."

--

Aly and Zeke continued their friendship over the next few days, patrolling the camp, exercising, and reading together. Aly never minded that Zeke wouldn't eat with her, talk to Kara and Kourrem with her or allow her in his tent.

One day Aly and Zeke were reading in her tent when she remembered she promised she'd practice weaving and share stories with Kara and Kourrem. Zeke nodded, his face hard and his lips pressed, like he always got when she mentioned the shamans. It bothered her slightly that he wasn't upset that she was leaving, not because she was going to see her friends. She looked into his eyes, which too seemed hard, "I'll see you tomorrow, won't I? We can practice and than study and -" Aly stopped when Zeke put his large hand over her mouth.

"Alianne, I don't think we should continue this," he paused, looking for the right word, "…friendship…"

Aly tried not to wince that had stung. "Zeke, why not? I don't leave for a few weeks and we can visit and write letters?"

"No," Zeke answered firmly, "I don't think that's such a good idea." His hand was against her cheek now and Aly resisted leaning in to it.

"Why not? You're not going to stay with the Bloody Hawk forever and as an - Ambassador - I'll be traveling," she looked into his eyes but he quickly turned away, dropping his hand. Aly's cheek suddenly turned very cold.

"You'll only make enemies with most of the tribe if you associate with me."

Aly was puzzled by this comment, "I already have friends here, Zeke, and if I acquire new enemies it'll be for my association with my mother or that I can fight, not because of you."

Zeke shook his head, turning around still standing straight. His stature would have been menacing had he been holding a weapon. "Don't you _see_, Alianne? We could never be together! I'm not one for marriage and you're a noble and -"

Aly was fuming now. She could feel her Gift thrumming in her fingertips. "I thought you'd be different, Zeke, I thought you wouldn't care about class or birthright. Yes, I _am_ a noble, but my father was born a commoner, wasn't he? And I'm only 16. Who says I'm ready for marriage or ever will be? Just because I have the _title_ of Lady doesn't make me like _all_ the other ladies of the Palace, Zeke. I thought _you_, of _all_ people would have understood that." She turned to go, still fuming, her hazel-green eyes blazing. "You're _right_ Zeke, we _can't_ be friends." She started to walk out of her tent but Zeke called after her. "Zeke, I'm not talking to you now. I have to go. Please leave me alone."

She walked out of her tent and into Kara and Kourrem's, who could immediately tell that she was preoccupied. "Aly, is everything all right?"

"Kara, why don't you like Zeke? Honestly?"

Kara sighed as Kourrem blushed slightly, "He became friends with Kourrem and I and Kourrem was instantly won over by his charms," she looked pointedly at Aly. But than one day he just stopped talking to us and picked up more patrol duty. He would never tell us why. But I confronted him one day and he said that it was for the best. He claims he can see the future."

Aly laughed, "But that's impossible! He doesn't have the Gift!"

Kara shook her head, "Unless it was dark magic that was being hidden and none of us could have known…"

Aly frowned, "You don't think he's evil or anything, do you?"

Kara shook her head, worried. Aly smiled, changing the subject, "What storied do you want to hear?" But she knew what she had to be done.

--

Aly woke up too exhausted the next morning to do _any_ of her exercises. She was up all night trying to make her Sight more powerful, more capable to pick up on things that had less magic. Thom had always told her that she could have the strongest Sight in the realm, if she just sat down and practiced, learned to harness and use it. And that's what she was doing. With a few more nights like that, her Sight would be incredibly strong. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous.

She knew Zeke would look for her sometime during the day to talk to her, or at least she hoped he would. She wouldn't allow herself to make any assumptions about him just yet, but she knew if they continued their friendship or whatever it was, it would be to her advantage if he _did_ prove to be evil or a Spy or anything else terrible. She didn't want to believe he was a Spy, but she had a terrible feeling he was.

She was reading outside her tent later that afternoon: she was actually _pretending_ to read and was actually working on her Sight. She was able to See Zeke minutes before she could _physically_ see him. And that was when she saw it. Her entire body froze as she Saw the black aura that surrounded him. Old, evil magic. So he _could_ see the future. And who knew what else he was capable of.

"Alianne?"

Aly looked up, "Afternoon, Zeke."

"You weren't exercising this morning."

She looked up, "Long night."

Zeke sat down next to her. "I did too," he paused, "look, I feel terrible about what I said, but I wanted you to realize how terrible it would be for you to stay close to me, to continue to be my friend. But I thought about it last night, and I enjoy your company too much to lose you as a friend," he smiled, "please Alianne? Forgive me?"

It took every effort, every trick of the Players for Aly to believably grin as her insides turned colder, "Of course, Zeke, I forgive you. Even though you know it won't end well."

Zeke grinned, "Hopefully I'll be wrong."

But he was lying and Aly knew it. She had manipulated her Sight and could see that he was lying. He _knew_ it wouldn't end well, he just didn't know how. But she knew.

--

Aly continued to practice with her Sight whenever she was alone and would use it when she was with Zeke. She began to practice her daggers and sword earlier in the morning so Zeke couldn't watch and learn the way she fought. If it ever came to that. But she still did her Shang exercises at the same time so Zeke didn't get too suspicious. They continued to read together during the day, although Aly never let him read any books on Tortall, and the continued to patrol the camp.

She listened to his stories, his opinions, looking for lies, clues, anything that would give away. It took her every effort to stay focused, to not let her anger control her emotions; Zeke couldn't discover that she knew his secret and was trying to find his other secrets as well. It pained her to be around him all the time. This was a man she had _liked_, and he had lied to her. And he was _so_ charming, which killed Aly. He was fun to flirt with, fun to be around, but he was a liar and possibly a Spy.

So she acted like she had feelings for him, flirting with him, acting like she wanted to kiss him, although they hadn't since their first kiss.

But one day, over a week later since Aly first discovered he could see the future, he kissed her. They were in her tent, reading, and Zeke simply leaned over and kissed her, much to her surprise. This kiss was not nearly as enjoyable as the first since she _knew_ he had evil magic inside him. She felt as though she could _feel_ the evil on his lips, even though she knew that wasn't true. But she had to pretend like she was enjoying the kiss. So she kissed him back, doing her best to show that she was enjoying herself. So she acted, thinking about how much she had enjoyed their first kiss.

But that only worked for that second kiss. Than she had to get creative. So she pretended she was kissing attractive men she had seen in Corus; stable hands, knights, squires, mages, thieves. Any men she had ever seen, ever flirted with, she pretended to kiss when Zeke kissed her, just so he'd think she was enjoying it too.

But she never thought about James, although that thought had crossed her mind. It was easier to imagine men she had only seen once or twice, men that she barely knew. But it didn't matter; her mind occasionally slipped to James.

This continued for a week until Zeke had patrol duty again and asked Aly to help him pack his saddle bag. It was the first time she'd be in his tent, and she was going to use this to her advantage. As soon as she walked into his tent her Sight was onslaught with scrolls hidden everywhere, all with the Maren Royal Seal on them, signed by different Generals, different Knights. Zeke walked in after her, "I just need to grab some daggers, food, that sort of thing. Can you grab my burnoose from the corner?" Aly nodded and went over to pick up his burnoose, noticing a scroll in an inside pocket. She was able to skim it with her Sight before Zeke became suspicious.

Zeke was a Maren spy. Aly frowned to herself, knowing she could play it off as being upset Zeke was leaving the camp. She handed him his burnoose and whispered, "Be careful," before he kissed her lightly and walked out, jumped onto his horse and rode away.

Aly called Neal and Alan with her Gift before pacing her tent as the sun set. Zeke had lied to her about his tortured childhood, his disappointment that no one in his tribe really liked him. She had felt sorry for him, tried to tell herself that he didn't have to use his magic for evil, but she was wrong. He was a Maren spy. Spying on Tortall. Spying on the Bazhir. Maybe even spying on Aly and her family. She was furious. What is she had let something about her extended family slip? It could have been detrimental for the kingdom.

That was the last time she trusted anyone. She couldn't even think about her own feelings, only about the kingdom. But as she finally went to sleep, she thought to herself, "And he was my first kiss."

--

Neal, Alan, Dom and his squad rode in to camp the next afternoon and rode straight to where Aly was pacing, twirling her sword in her hands. Alan jumped off his horse. "Aly? What's going on?"

She looked up at her twin frowning, "I need to talk to Neal and Dom - privately." Alan looked hurt, but he nodded.

Neal and Dom followed Aly to her tent where she used her Gift to seal the tent. "Okay, listen, I can't tell you _how_ I know this, but Zeke has been corresponding with the Maren general. He's a spy. He's been spying on our troops, knights and borders while he's out on patrol. And I need to go tell the King. I'll need a small escort, and some men will have to stay here to arrest him."

Neal nodded, "No one else in the tribe are spies?"

Aly shook her head, "I'm absolutely certain," she turned to Dom, "are your men able to ride today?"

Dom nodded, "They'll need new horses. When is Zeke coming back?"

"In 3 days. Hopefully I'll be back with a few guards by then."

The three left the tent and Aly went to put her saddle bag on Cinnamon, slipping her burnoose over her head. She rode p to meet the group and frowned at Alan who walked over to her. "You know I'll tell you everything when we get back to Corus."

"Family meeting?"

She smiled, "Yea, family meeting," Dom rode over. "Neal's going to keep charge here and James, Dennison, Marc and I will accompany you back to Corus." Aly nodded and waved back to Neal and Alan as the five rode north.

--

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW.


	3. III

Aly faced the large door again for the fourth time in ten minutes

The group was silent for most of the journey: Aly was still angry and the men were tired, and they all had to keep their eyes out for bandits. Aly couldn't tell them that she'd be able to know when they were close.

James kept shooting Aly worried glances that she didn't notice. He had only known her a short time, but he had never seen her so obviously upset. She twirled a dagger in her one hand, biting her lip, her eyes dark as she stared straight ahead. James finally rode up next to her, running his hand nervously through his dark hair. "Hey, Aly, are you all right? You seem preoccupied."

Aly turned her head and attempted to smile. "Yea, James, thanks, it's just been a long couple of weeks," she sighed and James said softly, "I'll listen if you want to talk about it. Whenever you're ready."

Aly smiled sadly, "Thanks, James."

Aly wasn't angry with James, nor had she _ever_ been mad at him, she realized she had been upset that his forgetting to say goodbye had troubled her. She barely knew James, yet she had liked him and that bothered him.

Could she trust James? She knew he possessed _no_ magic whatsoever and he came from a noble-family and he had no reason to lie to her, but he could. And he might hurt her, just as Zeke had. She frowned to herself. Would she _ever_ be able to fully trust someone again? Fully let go of her inhibitions?

Even her father had some trusted allies, but even some of these people turned on him. Had he felt like Aly did now?

She brought Cinnamon up alongside James and addressed him softly, "James, I'm sorry about before, I've just had a rough couple of weeks," she paused and dared to look into his eyes. His gorgeous green eyes that were filled with such concern. "And, well, I can't really explain much yet, but, I discovered that a new friend, a friend I had really twisted - had been lying to me all along."

James nodded, "I understand, Aly, and I'm terribly sorry, and, I hope you know," he stopped when he noticed Aly wasn't listening to him but looking out across the land as the sun got lower in the sky.

"Hillmen," she said, "ten of them."

Dom looked at her, "How are you-"

"They're large men. Have bows, axes, we're outnumbered - I can use my Gift but only limitedly."

Dom started barking order as Aly grabbed her sword and a few daggers, not worrying about how she would explain this to James, Dom and the others later. She only had limited knowledge of how to fight with her Gift, but she could throw enough fire to burn at least two men. As the hillmen got closer, Aly moved to the front of the group and without moving her lips, threw deep purple fire, burning two men and than bracing herself as the remaining hillmen charged towards them.

She didn't hear Dom's war cry as she sliced her sword upwards, only injuring her opponent. He charged towards her, getting too close, giving Aly enough time and room to stab him right in the heart with her crooked dagger. She Saw another Hillman raise his axe behind her as her first opponent fell off his horse. She threw a dagger behind her, giving her enough time to turn around to fight face-to-face, but not before his axe caught her left arm, ripping open the sleeves of her burnoose and tunic, slicing her arm. Ignoring the pain, she swung her sword up with her right hand and got him right in the collarbone, just as Dom sliced his gut from the side.

The man fell off his horse, dead, and Aly nodded to Dom who jumped off his horse, running towards Marc who was lying on the ground, his thigh bleeding badly. Aly ran over, ignoring her own injury and pushing Dom away, "Let me heal him, he'll be fine." She put her hands on his thigh, wrapping her deep purple magic around the injury and stood up a few minutes later. She saw James' bleeding arm and took it before he could refuse. She healed it quickly but swayed slightly on her feet.

"Aly, what about your own arm?" James asked, holding her elbow as she swayed again.

"No, no, it's fine, I'll heal it -" but she didn't get to finish. James laughed as Dom helped her to lie down.

"Wore herself out with all that magic. Hitch Cinnamon up to your horse and I'll bandage her arm. She can ride with me - this Bazhir horse is strong enough."

--

Aly woke up a while later; her arm ached terribly, there was something warm behind her back and she could feel that she was moving. Suddenly fearful of where she was, Aly attempted to use her Sight, but instead her head just throbbed.

James felt Aly shift and whispered in her ear, "Aly, it's James, don't worry. You cut your arm pretty bad and after you healed me and Marc, you fainted, probably exhausted yourself." She went to say something, but his arm tightened around her waist, "No, no, you have to rest a little more. And don't worry, I'll let you back on your own horse before we get to Corus."

Aly nodded, her eyes closing again already as she whispered, "Thanks, James."

Too soon James was nudging Aly awake. "Are you okay to ride on your own?"

They had stopped moving and Aly turned to face James. His face was so close to hers he could feel his breath on her face. "I think so, thanks."

James helped her down when she remembered, "My crooked dagger, I -" James held up the dagger, smiling.

Aly smiled, though James noticed it was a sad smile, although he couldn't figure out why. "Oh, James, thanks so much, I don't know how to thank you."

James' smile faltered, "Aly, I don't know what happened while we were gone, but -"

"James? Aly? We need to hurry, come on." Aly nodded to Dom and heaved herself one-handed onto Cinnamon.

As soon as Aly rode through the Palace Gates she yelled at a guard to take Cinnamon and for Dom and his men to report to Sir Myles after they took care of their own horses. She ran into the castle, ignoring the pain in her arm and finding a Palace Servant, ordered him to get her father and grandfather immediately. The servant ran off and Aly knew she'd reach Myles' office just as she did.

"Alianne what is going on? Are you hurt?" her father asked as he burst through the door.

She frowned, "Dad, I'm fine. But we have a problem. There's a Spy in the Bloody Hawk tribe."

"What?" Myles asked, finally walking in to the room.

"There's a Maren Spy - he's Bazhir and he has an ancient magic, a black aura. He can see bits of the future. And he's a Spy, pretending to be an orphan, a former renegade. He's been with the Bloody Hawk for years."

Myles rubbed his chin, "How would we have missed this?"

Aly sighed, "I only saw his magic once I learned to strengthen my Sight and -"

"How do you know he is a Maren Spy?"

"I saw scrolls with the Maren seal, signed by Generals, nobles…"

"He must have not been a very well trained Spy if -"

"No, Grandpa. I _S_aw the scrolls. With my Sight."

"But, Aly, _how_?"

"You remember how Thom said if I practiced and learned how to harness my Sight? Well, I did." Both remained speechless until Aly continued, "And I would demonstrate, but I'm still recovering from fighting with my Gift and healing Dom's men…"

George looked at her arm, "We'll take you to your mother in a minute, this bandage will last, but how did you leave the camp?"

Aly smiled grimly, "It wasn't until just before he left for sentry duty that I saw the scrolls. Neal, Alan and half of Dom's men are waiting for his return and some of the King's men I suppose to bring him back. He'll be back in three days. I think Dom, his men and I should go back tomorrow, surround the camp, make sure he can't escape -"

"No," George said firmly, "you and the men of the King's Own who escorted you need to rest. And Aly, trust me, this is your first time bringing in a Spy. You can _not_ be there."

Myles nodded, "Aly, he's right. It will be better for you to stay here, prepare what you're going to say in Court since you'll be a witness."

Aly nodded, although she was angry, "I'd really like to see his face when he realizes _I_ was spying on _him_."

George's voice was grave again, "I know, Aly, and that's exactly while you can't go. It gets easier the second time around, I promise." He saw Aly's disappointment, and knew there was something more than just wanting to see this spy confused.

Myles continued, "Aly, I'm sure you're aware, but _no one_ should know how powerful your Gift is except for your _immediate_ family and whoever else Jon believes should know," Aly nodded. "Tomorrow we shall discuss this more thoroughly as well as your future as a Spy and everything else. George, take her to Alanna, I'll finish up here."

George and Aly walked out of the office silently. George put his arm around her, "Aly, you know I'm sorry. I understand how it feels to be betrayed, lied to."

Aly nodded, "I know, Pops. I just, I just _trusted_ him. I _liked_ him."

George sighed, "It never gets any easier, Aly, but I know you and you can't _not_ trust anyone anymore you know. Not _everyone_ is a liar."

Aly laughed softly, "I'll be able to See if they are or not."

They walked into her parents' room and Alanna hugged Aly fiercely, "What in Mithros' name _happened_ Alianne?"

Aly sighed and George gave her a quick summary. "Ma, can you heal my arm?" Her mother nodded and started to work quickly on her arm.

"You taught yourself how to harness your Sight's power?"

Aly nodded, unaware of the awe that was present in her mother's voice, "Thom told me a few Midwinters ago that if I practiced, I could have the strongest Sight in the realm, and when I suspected Zeke - the Maren Spy - I forced myself to sit down and practice," she shrugged, "and I figured that no one would be able to teach me anyway if I were to have the Strongest Sight."

Alanna nodded, her violet eyes wide, "We'll talk to Thom and Jon tomorrow, the fewer people who know, the better."

Aly nodded, "There's not much anyone would be able to hide from me anyway," she stood up and excused herself. She needed to sleep, reenergize herself and her Gift.

When Aly was gone, Alanna turned to her husband, "Not only does she have a strong Gift - almost as strong as Thom, but she has an incredibly strong Sight."

"Which _should_ be impossible," George finished, "and she doesn't even realize."

"And teaching herself? With _no_ formal Sight training?"

"She could read the scrolls through clothing, could pick out all the hidden scrolls in the spy's tent."

Alanna nodded gravely, "She'll easily be the best Spy."

"Easily."

--

Aly woke up late the next morning and immediately adjusted her Sight, grinning when she discovered it was fully restored. She turned the water on to draw a bath when she Saw the Royal Seal poking out under her door. Too lazy to go open it, she read it with her Sight. She had a meeting with her grandfather, father and mother, Uncle Jon, Thom, Uncle Gary and Uncle Raoul. She grimaced, "The less people, huh?" she thought as her stomach growled she hoped they had food.

She was wearing a plain blue dress as she allowed a Palace Servant to open the door. "Good morning, all," Aly grinned as she strolled into the room, sitting next to her older brother.

Jonathan cleared his throat and stood, grinning, "Good morning. Aly, don't worry, breakfast will be brought up soon. Now, as you all know, Aly was able to uncover a Maren Spy in the Bloody Hawk tribe, who will be brought back soon for questioning and a trial. Now, Aly was able to gather evidence by using her Sight." He raised his hand to stop the few murmurs and looks at Aly. Thom kicked her leg and she bit back a grin. "Now, a normal Sight would have not been able to notice the numerous scrolls from different Maren nobles and generals hidden in the Spy's tent." He paused and turned to Thom, "Thom, you are here both as Aly's brother and as our trusted mage. Now, can you use your Sight to see if Aly has tapped into her complete potential."

Thom nodded and Aly could feel Thom's magic seeping over her. He smiled, "There's nothing anyone else could teach her." He smiled, "There's nothing anyone else could teach her, but yes, she still has untouched reserves of magic."

Raoul looked at Aly, "You taught yourself?"

Aly nodded, "Thom always told me I could have a strong Gift, but I never really needed it…"

"And you can continue to teach yourself?" Myles asked.

Aly shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Jon smiled and Aly grinned as food was finally set in front of her. "Aly, is your Sight restored from yesterday?" She nodded, her mouth full. "Could you read the scroll that is in the drawer in front of me?"

She swallowed, not looking up from her plate, "Meeting at fourth bell, reports at sixth bell, review feast plans."

Jonathan grinned, "Precisely," he looked around the table. Alanna and Thom looked proud, Raoul and Gary shocked. George tried not to laugh.

"See, Jonathan, his is why she needs to be a Spy."

Gary looked at Jonathan, "An Ambassador or an envoy."

"An interrogator," Raoul laughed, "lure them in with flirting, threaten them with knives, see if they lie."

Aly swallowed and looked up, "Couldn't I do all? Few can know about my Sight, but a little more than a few can know I'm a Spy, which could explain why I would attend state dinners as a Lady-in-Waiting, go to countries as an Ambassador and be in interrogation rooms."

George grinned, "And what would we call you, Mistress of Nearly Everything?"

Aly smiled, "Well, since Highness is taken, I suppose Lady Alianne would do."

Alanna rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh, "So, she'll be a Spy, Ambassador, Healer -"

"-_ And_ Player."

Aly laughed at Gary, "A Player?"

Jon laughed and put up another hand. "Perhaps she can _just_ be Lady Alianne and can be free-lanced around out. What do you think, Aly?"

Aly smiled, "I don't mind if the Kingdom thinks I'm lazy. It could be - dare I say it? - fun."

Jonathan smiled, "You'll be working with Gary for Ambassadorial things, Myles and George for some Spy training, although you _seem_ to have an idea of what you're doing, and I think you'll be working and traveling with Raoul and the King's Own, when not in the guise of an envoy, in the guise as a Healer. Sergeant Domitan informed me that you were able to heal two of his men extremely well, _and_ quickly." He smiled, "Anyone else?"

Thom turned to his mother, "And you thought _you_ had a lot on your plate."

Alanna grimaced and turned to Jon, "Mithros, is there anything she _won't_ be doing?"

Jonathan turned to his niece, "Aly, you don't feel as though this is _too_ much, do you? We only do this because we believe you can handle it. And you would still be in Corus often enough."

Aly smiled, "When do I start?"

--

Thom and Aly went walking through the Palace Gardens that afternoon. "But how did you _do_ it?"

Aly laughed, "Thom _you_ were the one who said I _could_ do it, so why do you act so surprised? You said if I practiced it, harnessed it, I'd be able to control it."

Thom nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, but _how_?"

Aly shrugged, "I just _thought_ about it, you know? About my Sight and I reached inside myself, like you do with your Gift and I just, _manipulated_ it. Told it what to do."

To say Thom was amazed would have been an understatement. He looked at his younger sister in awe, "Do you realize how _difficult_ that is? You have a stronger Sight than I do and your Gift is almost as strong and you didn't go to University. You didn't have any formal training."

Aly blushed at her brother's compliment, "Oh, come on Thom, _you_ by far have the strongest Gift _and_ your Sight isn't too shabby."

"I can't read through solid oak or tell if someone is lying or if they have dark, ancient magic." He paused, "Could you just, I don't know, try to manipulate your Sight now for me? So I can watch? You still have a lot left that you haven't touched."

Aly grinned, "Anything for you, Thom." She reached inside herself, found some of her remaining, untouched magic and manipulated it like she always did; opening her eyes she saw Thom, his hazel eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

"_That_ was incredible," he paused, "what did you do with it? Just added it to the rest?"

Aly nodded and didn't say anything, she wanted to See Thom. Thom fidgeted slightly, realizing what she was doing. "I don't like to be scrutinized you know."

Aly smiled, "Why? You're not hiding anything, I can tell."

Thom turned to his sister and even though she was trying to hide it, could tell there was something wrong. "Alianne, as your older brother, I _demand_ you tell me what's wrong. What happened in the desert that you aren't telling me?"

Aly frowned, "Nothing gets by you, even without a super-strong Sight," she grimaced, "promise you won't tell anyone, huh? I haven't even been able to tell Alan yet."

Thom knew how difficult this was for Aly to tell him before she told her twin: he had long accepted the fact that he was always the second person to find anything out about the twins. He understood that it was some sort of "twin" thing, but he always found out because his siblings never kept him out of the loop.

"You know the Maren spy, Zeke?"

Thom put his arm around his sister, understanding completely, "You liked him, didn't you? Actually _liked_ him before you discovered he was lying. Oh, Aly, that's _terrible_. Oh, don't feel too bad," he paused and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "And don't you _dare_ stop trusting people, Aly. I _know_ you. And don't use your Sight all the time either, huh? It will _only_ make you paranoid."

Aly nodded, "I know, I know. And I'll try. But Mithros, Thom. He was my _first_ kiss!"

Thom groaned and continued walking, "I _didn't_ need to know that, but I understand how frustrating that must be."

Aly smiled gratefully, "I'm sure I'll get over it, but it's just not fun."

They continued walking, talking about different things when the bells rang. Thom had to head back to University and Aly went to go see her Uncle Raoul. He was reading a report on his desk when she walked in and he grinned when he saw her. "Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite everything."

Aly laughed, "Clever, clever, Uncle Raoul. Is that Dom's report?"

Raoul nodded, "He had nothing but praise for you, Aly. Said he had never seen anything so deceptively deadly as you and your knives. Wants you to train all his men. He said his nephew, James, can throw them decently now because you taught him. Once."

Aly grinned, "What can I say? I'm a good teacher." She hesitated, "Uncle Raoul, I know you probably hear this all the time, but as an unbiased third party, Dom is a really terrific Sergeant, a terrific fighter. He should really be a knight."

Raoul nodded, "I know. I just wish there were more we could do for him since I can't promote him to Commander of any of the Companies, because that job is usually for knights anyway."

"Like Lady Knight Keladry?"

"Ah, no, Lady Knight will some day take _my_ job. Commander of everything."

Aly smiled mischeviously, "I'm sure you'll think of something for Dom," she paused, "did Dom tell his men that Zeke was a spy?"

Raoul nodded, "Why?"

Aly started towards the door, "I need to thank them of course!"

She walked down the hall, heading towards where she knew Dom's door was and knocked on the open door. "Ah, Lady Alianne, Mistress of Knives, _just_ the young lady we hoped to see!"

Aly grinned and curtsied deeply to Dom, James, Marc and Dennyson. "Just the fine, young men _I_ was looking for!" She sat down in an empty chair, "I want to thank you for escorting me back to Corus without even the slightest idea of what was going on." She smiled, her hazel-green eyes twinkling, "Although I'm sure you've all be brought up to speed." She looked to Marc, "How's your leg?"

He grinned, "Just _fine_ actually."

"A Palace Healer didn't have to examine it?"

Marc laughed, "You can't even see the scar. Want me to prove it?" Dennyson groaned and pushed Marc out of his chair, "No one wants to see that, Marc."

Aly laughed and turned to James who was casually leaning against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. Before she could open her mouth, he smiled, "Never better."

Aly didn't have to use her Sight to know he wasn't lying. "Good, well, I just want to thank you all again, and I hope I'll get to ride with you all some day - when I'm conscience." They all laughed and Aly said goodbye.

She was halfway down the hall when she Saw James running to catch up with her, "Aly," she turned around and his bright green eyes were concerned again as they probed her hazel-green eyes. "Thanks again for healing me before you could heal yourself. I hope your arm's okay."

She smiled, "It is, thanks."

"And look, I don't want to be rude, but I assume that Zeke - the Spy - was your friend and," he paused, still looking at her intently, "I assumed that's why you were so…preoccupied on the trip. And Aly, I know it's none of my business, but I understand how that feels, to be betrayed."

Aly tried to smile, unsure of how to respond to something so kind," James thanks, so much _really_, for everything," she meant to continue, but Dom stuck his head out of his doorway and shouted, "James! Come on! Reports!"

James groaned and turned to Aly, "Look, I've got to go, but - just remember what I said, huh?" And before she could respond he was running back down the hall.

Aly watched him, unable to _not_ admire his loping gate: he reached the room in only a few strides since his legs were so long. And Aly turned around, sighing.

--

James was trying to read that night before going to bed, but his thoughts kept drifting to Aly. Talking with her on their way to the Bazhir was so easy, so casual and normal - he wasn't used to having meaningful conversations like that with the opposite sex, conversations that came naturally. They had talked like they knew each other for years, not the few hours that they had. And he had been utterly surprised and impressed with her fighting skills. She had been so quick that it was hard to keep track of her weapons.

And she was _beautiful_. He hated to admit it, but that was why he was first drawn to her when he first met her. He didn't believe she was _actually_ a Palace Lady when he met her because she _wasn't_ all done up. She had a natural beauty about her that most Ladies, especially ones at such a young age, didn't.

But after that first meeting she would have been easily forgettable, if he hadn't talked with her, watched her fight, learned knife-throwing from her, seen her sad beyond belief, held her in his arms.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes. That had _really_ been the death of him. She had felt so _perfect_ in his arms, so peaceful, so vulnerable. He knew it was probably the only time she'd ever need protecting, but unlike most men, he had never enjoyed the tales of damsels in distress who couldn't do anything to save themselves.

He groaned again. He _couldn't_ be doing this, no matter how much he liked her, how much he respected her. He had worked too hard to be accepted in to the Own to screw everything up by being preoccupied with girls. He needed to focus, needed to concentrate so he could get a promotion sooner or later. And the Own prohibited marriage anyway.

And he was young. He could have romance when he was older.

--

The next few days were a blur for Aly as she had Spy training, lessons with Myles and Gary and her own Sight lessons. And any extra time she spent with the Princesses, Thom, or her parents.

Neal, Alan and the rest of Dom's squad and six Palace Guards escorted Zeke back five days after Aly had returned. Alan came to her door as soon as he was able to leave Neal's side. She opened the door before he could even knock on it, and ushered him without saying a word.

Alan looked at her like she had six heads. "All right, what was that? Seriously. _What_ is going on?"

"You better sit for this," and she proceeded to tell him everything that happened, every minute detail. He didn't say a word until she was finished.

"So your Sight is stronger than Thom's?"

Aly smirked, "Stronger than _anyone_'s."

"So what can you do with it?"

Aly grinned, "You can't lie to me, I can read through tables, clothes, whatever. I can see when you're hiding something - not _thoughts_, of course. I can see far away," she paused, "and _any_ sort of magic."

Alan shook his head, laughing, "So you just _taught_ yourself one day how to use your Sight to its full potential? That's unbelievable." She stuck her tongue out at him, "Are you feeling better about Zeke?"

Aly nodded, "I think, but my testimony should be fun, huh?" she grimaced, "thankfully it's not public, so I won't have to lie about my Sight. And I can't wait to see his face. No one told him, right?"

Alan shook his head, "The guards just said that he was being taken for impersonating a Bazhir and being a Spy for Maren. And we went through his things."

Aly nodded and stood up, "You should go eat and rest. I need to go testify." She groaned, "And I'll see you at dinner tonight."

Alan left Aly to change her dress before she was to head down to the prisoner's cells where she'd give a testimony in front of Zeke. She changed into a dark grey dress, leaving her strawberry blonde hair to fall past her shoulders. She slipped her knives and daggers into their usual spots. She wanted to show Zeke just _who_ he had tried to fool, what he was missing. She smiled at her reflection. She knew she shouldn't be pleased that she was going to hurt Zeke like he had hurt her, but she couldn't help it.

Gary let her into a small room where Zeke was sitting, his hands bound, behind a table, two guards with spears behind him. Jonathan, Neal and Myles were there too as witnesses. Aly looked at Zeke briefly, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Let the record show Lady Alianne of Pirate's Swoop is present. Lady Alianne," Jonathan continued, "how did you discover Zeke han Abballe was a Spy for Maren?"

"The shaman of the Bloody Hawk tribe expressed concern that Zeke had an ancient magic, that he could see fragments of the future I was able to manipulate my Sight and could See the black, ancient aura around him."

Jonathan nodded as Gary wrote down everything that was being said. "And what evidence do you have that Zeke is a Spy for Maren?"

Aly, remembering that Neal was present, looked pointedly at her uncle, who nodded. If the King thought it was okay for Sir Nealan to know…"When I entered his tent to assist in his packing for sentry duty, I was able to use my Sight to discover scrolls that bore the Maren seal. They were addressed to Zeke and signed by different generals and nobles."

Zeke laughed harshly as Aly glared down at him. "How is anyone to believe she can _read_ through things?"

Aly smirked, "Neal, write something on a slip of paper, show it to our nonbeliever, than slip it in your pocket." When Neal did this, Aly smirked, kept her eyes on Zeke and said, "Alan better not have the Sight too." She couldn't help but feel pleased as the color drained from Zeke's face. "Let the record show that Alianne was able to read the slip of paper."

Jonathan smiled, "Sir Nealan of Queenscove, did you collect any evidence?"

Neal produced a few scrolls from his pockets, "These are a few of the many scrolls we found in Zeke's tent. They are detailed assignments plus border reports written by Zeke."

Jonathan nodded. "Let the record show that Zeke han Abballe has been sentenced to death for impersonating a Bloody Hawk tribe member and for being a Spy from Maren on Tortallan soil. He will be hanged tomorrow morning at the first bell." He nodded and everyone left, except for the guards, Zeke and Aly.

Aly stood where she was and glared at Zeke, her eyes hard, "How does it feel to be spied on by an amateur spy, Zeke? How does it feel to be betrayed?"

"I told you it wouldn't end well, Alianne."

Aly continued to stare coldly at him, "It's _Lady_ Alianne to spies like you. Had you fooled, didn't I? Didn't even expect me."

Zeke seemingly ignored Aly and said quietly, "I cared for you Alianne, I truly did. You were unlike any woman I'd -"

"Liar!" she spat, her Gift thrumming in her fingertips.

Zeke shook his head, his dark eyes unwavering, "I'm not lying; you of all people should be able to tell."

And what made Aly even more upset was that he wasn't lying.

She made her way to the door, her eyes still cold, her outside demeanor still hard, "I don't have time for this, Zeke. I'm glad _I_ was the one who bought you in before you caused my country another war. May Mithros have mercy on your soul."

She left the room in a hurry and didn't stop to think until she got back to her room. She sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the wall, not crying. She couldn't cry. Not about him. Not about the liar. But it hurt more when she realized he _had_ cared about her.

So much worse.

--

She had dinner with her family that night and was able to not think about Zeke until she got back to her room that night. But she didn't cry. She wouldn't let herself. She woke up the next morning, knowing that Zeke was already dead, and vowed to not think about him ever again. It wasn't worth it.

--

The next few weeks flew by as Aly continued all of her previous lessons and continued with her new ones. Aly didn't see James those few weeks, but she tried not to think about him either.

Her 17th birthday passed with only a small dinner with her parents: Alan had gone to Queenscove with Neal and when he got back, there'd unfortunately be a ball. Aly hated that Aunt Thayet loved to throw parties for her adopted niece and nephew, but she'd suffer through it. It was shame that Prince Liam and Princess Kalasin wouldn't be able to attend, they always made the balls easier to handle. But Aly knew she'd have fun with Neal, and his friends and her assorted uncles who she knew hated balls as much as she did. And there would be Alan's knight and squire friends to entertain her with.

It might not be too terrible of a night.

--

A/N: Next up - ball! Pleas review!

I know these chapters are long and rather speedy/very involved, but this just happens to be how I've been writing this story. I've been skipping over parts that I don't feel like writing/that I know would be terrible and boring if I did. But otherwise, I hope you like this story!!

Please review!


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